Merrill Names New Head of Chief Investment Office

Merrill Lynch named a new head of its chief investment office as part of a new management lineup, the firm told employees in a memo on Thursday.

The appointments are the first since Chris Hyzy assumed the newly created position of CIO of Bank of America's Global Wealth & Investment Management in July. The unit contains Merrill Lynch as well as U.S. Trust, where Hyzy had been and continues to serve as chief investment officer.

In the memo, Hyzy detailed the new changes to GWIM employees, including that Chris Wolfe is taking the helm of the chief investment office.

"We have talented, committed and energetic people in Investment Management & Guidance and in the U.S. Trust Investments organization. It’s that combined talent that will always keep us ahead of our competitors," Hyzy said.

Hyzy also named Mary Ann Bartels as head of Merrill Lynch Wealth Management Portfolio Strategy. Other new appointments Hyzy announced include:

Anil Suri is now responsible for Portfolio Analytics and the Innovation Development Center

Joe Quinlan as head of Market & Thematic Strategy

Karin Kimbrough as head the Macro and Economic Policy effort for Merrill Lynch Wealth Management

Deb Bailey as head of Business Management & Investment Oversight; she will build out the firm's monitoring capabilities

Brian Partridge as head of Managed Solutions Sales

Hyzy also said that Partridge will remain head of Due Diligence for GWIM until a successor for that position is named."We have set our sights on developing the industry’s most robust end-to-end investment process that fully integrates market investment strategy and field-based research with portfolio construction, platform capabilities and guidance," Hyzy told employees. "Our innovative quantitative analytics, industry-leading thought leadership, due diligence and comprehensive investment solutions are all designed to meet the highest standards and create the best client experience."